Social Workout

Challenges

Annals of Caffeine Withdrawl: Day 6

Thanks to some pushups, some water, and some very good moral support, I made it through Monday morning without breaking my caffeine-free vow. I miss my coffee cart guy — I know he calls everyone "sweetie" and "beautiful," but I think he says it with a special twinkle when he says it to me — but I've stayed strong. Until this morning. When I got a headache and took an Excedrin.

Public Service Announcement

Results of the Sex and Drugs Meta-Analysis

Researchers at Concordia University crunched numbers from more than 100 studies on the effects of recreational drugs on sexual performance. The list of drugs examined was long — cocaine, morphine, alcohol, caffeine, and a slew of others. And the verdict — not good. Almost across the board, drugs led to decreased sexual performance. With a few notable exceptions:

Scientific

Coffee Fights Cancer?

More evidence that coffee is good for you, or at least that researchers with serious coffee habits are really intent on justifying them: A new study at the University of Utah shows that people who drink four cups of coffee a day are 39% less likely to suffer from cancer of the mouth and pharynx. Add that to the 20% less likely to develop heart disease of this morning's other coffee study, and maybe you're hankering for another cup.... Just don't forget the study that says people who drink more than 7 cups a day are three times as likely to hear non-existent voices.

Scientific

Your Heart Hearts Coffee

Coffee may be better at beating back caffeine withdrawal than it actually is at perking you up, but a new study shows that regardless, coffee consumption is linked to reduced risk of heart disease. In the Dutch study which tracked 37,000 people over 13 years, moderate coffee drinkers (defined as 2-4 cups a day) had a 20% lower risk of heart disease than coffee abstainers. Even better is tea. People who drank 3-6 cups of tea a day had a 45% lower risk of death from heart disease.

Elixirs

Mood Enhancing, Brain Focusing, Green Tea Elixir

This week has been filled with late nights and early mornings. Whenever I fall into this less than ideal sleep pattern, I end up getting pretty kranky and I can end up making less then perfect food and drink choices, especially when I reach for quick energizing fixes like coffee. A quality cup can be a treat, but I don't feel great when I drink it more than every once in awhile, especially when it's on an "I need it" basis. But green tea is another story. Especially when I whip it into a superfood tonic elixir with goji berries and vanilla beans. 

Faux Fix

Bad News for Your Morning Cup of Coffee

"While frequent consumers may feel alerted by coffee, evidence suggests that this is actually merely the reversal of the fatiguing effects of acute caffeine withdrawal. And given the increased propensity to anxiety and raised blood pressure induced by caffeine consumption, there is no net benefit to be gained."

— findings from a study conducted at the University of Bristol, which tested subjects' alertness after intaking either caffeine or a placebo and found they looked pretty much the same.

Elixirs

Superfood Coffee Blast-Off

Okay boys and girls! Get ready for a dose of rocket fuel. The "healthy" kind of course, depending on your philosophy. Regardless, I encourage you to try this one out. 
Here's a way to do your organic coffee that you don't have to feel guilty about. Coffee is one of those things I move in and out of. I like stimulants. And yet I'm sensitive to them and have to consume with slight caution. All the superfoods whipped into this combo make you feel grounded and round out the energy you get from the coffee. And if you're extra sensitive, you can always drop the coffee, add a few extra cacao beans, and still get a major boost! Here's the recipe:

My Body

Brett Hoebel on Capoeira and Garbage Fitness Products

We heard about Brett Hoebel through L.A. super trainer Elizabeth Ordway who gave Hoebel top marks. Hoebel made his name at Equinox in New York with urbanmotion, a class that combined capoeira, kickboxing, and house music. He's since gone out on his own, and attracted a crowd of celebrity clients including Karolina Kurkova, America Ferrera, and Veronica Webb.

I've always been an athlete. I was just naturally good at sports. I could throw a ball straight before any of the other kids. My mom put me in gymnastics when I was two. I always loved to dance. There's just been that movement in me. But I had a wheat allergy and started to gain weight in fifth grade. We moved from New Jersey to California, and I had no friends. But we walked past this karate dojo everyday. There, they don't care how heavy you are, how skinny you are. You come in, you're respectful of the rules, you'll be rewarded. I really excelled. I went to all the classes, and got into sparring. That got me hooked and gave me a lot of self-confidence.  

In 9th grade I decided I didn't want to be the last kid to ever go out on date, and I also tried out for varsity teams, so my training tripled. I weighed in 150 for football, then wrestled sophomore year at 120. I was in ridiculous shape. That changed my life in a good way. The secret is inner strength. You can come up with crazy exercises, but if you want to change your body, your'e going to have to change your life. I call it chatter, that voice in your head that's like "I'm too tired, I want to quit." You have to turn that off. That kind of mental strength, knowing you're not going to quit, that's what does it.

The Accidental Feat

Ever since I gave up soda this month, staying off caffiene has been surprisingly easy.  I don't often have coffee, mainly because there's no Starbucks on the way to work and I'm a coffee snob.  So much to my surprise, I was on day 6 of no caffiene when I realized, holy crap, I've almost accomplished my first feat!  All it took was one more day of doing what I was already doing an

In Short

October Men's Health in 299 Words

You can totally overdose on fish oil. Don't water down sorrows, whiskey or pancakes. Saccharine leaves a metallic aftertaste. Some poultry producers inject salt into their chicken's breasts. Swimming's boring. (Hint: Old pantyhose wipes deodorant marks off clothes.) SSRI's make a man's sperm bad. Hubbard squash is warty-looking but healthy. Mice given acetic acid gained 10% less weight than mice who weren't given the acid. Women like men who don't have lots of chest hair. John Besh cooks excellent beans and rice. People lift more weights when other people are watching. A picture of seared steak looks like wet brains. Eat Breyers not Dove! Overcome any obstacle!  Be a Better Dad! Matthew McConaughey is sultry in a white button down, top button undone. Okra is in. Six pounds of sausage online is $30, plus shipping. Fencer Jason Rogers says indecision is bad. Flip up the collar of your pea coat—you'll look like James Dean. Maintain your mane. Caffeine and TV and cigarettes are bad habits. Ginseng, grilled salmon, cayenne peppermint chewing gum, half an apple, a shot of espresso are good, good, good! Soda, coffee, tea with milk, diet soda are bad bad bad! Whiskey is bad!